A shortlist typically within 72 hours, usually contributing inside two weeks, and 30-day replacement support if the fit is wrong (terms in your agreement).
Shortlist typically in 72 hours · 30-day replacement support · Month-to-month
Shopify makes it easy to launch a store and surprisingly easy to slow one down. A few apps for reviews, upsells and subscriptions, a theme edited by three different freelancers, and page speed starts to slip. Each app adds its own scripts, the theme carries code for features nobody uses, and the checkout customisations from two years ago no longer match how Shopify works today.
A senior Shopify developer knows the platform well enough to keep things simple: Online Store 2.0 sections instead of hard-coded templates, apps only where they earn their place, and custom work done in a way that survives theme updates.
Sections, blocks and metafields that let merchandisers work without a developer.
Image handling, script loading and app clean-ups that keep mobile pages fast.
Current checkout UI extensions and Shopify Functions instead of legacy scripts.
Admin, Storefront and webhook work for custom apps and integrations.
Experience with Hydrogen, and the honesty to say when a theme is the better choice.
Shopify CLI, Git and review before anything goes live.
Slower pages, fewer sales. Heavy themes and stacked app scripts hurt load times on mobile, where most traffic now comes from.
Rising app bills. Monthly app subscriptions add up, often for features a developer could build once.
Checkout surprises. Older checkout customisations need moving to Checkout Extensibility and Shopify Functions. Leaving it late turns a planned change into an urgent one.
Every engineer we put forward has at least five years of hands-on experience. Within that, here is how the levels differ.
Senior Developer (5–8 years). Builds Online Store 2.0 themes in Liquid, custom sections, metafields and integrations through the Admin and Storefront APIs. Comfortable with Shopify CLI and theme version control.
Lead / Architect (8+ years). Owns headless builds with Hydrogen or another framework, Shopify Plus setups across multiple stores, ERP and PIM integrations, and performance budgets.
Theme builds and rebuilds. Custom Online Store 2.0 themes or cleaned-up existing themes with sections merchandisers can edit themselves
Shopify Plus and checkout. Checkout Extensibility, Shopify Functions for discounts and delivery rules, and B2B features
Custom apps and integrations. Private apps and connections to ERP, inventory, 3PL and marketing systems
Headless storefronts. Hydrogen or Next.js storefronts on the Storefront API for brands that need more control
Week one. They review your theme, installed apps, page speed and any checkout customisations before changing anything.
Weeks two and three. First improvements on a duplicate theme with Git version control, reviewed by your team before publishing.
Week four. A short list of apps that could be removed, performance fixes, and anything that needs moving to current Shopify features.
Solving everything with apps. Each app adds cost and scripts. Ask what could be built once in the theme instead.
Editing the live theme. Changes should go through a duplicate theme or Git workflow, never straight to production.
Going headless too early. Headless adds hosting and maintenance. For most stores a well-built theme is faster to ship and cheaper to run.
Rates depend on seniority, scope and engagement length. See the cost guide for market ranges, or tell us the role and we will give you a firm number.
Tell us the role and we will typically send a shortlist within 72 hours.
Tell Us the RoleTell us the role. Three to five profiles, typically within 72 hours.